I’m catching up on projects that must get out. Look for updates to the blog next week!

Greg, Dennis, Arlee, Bob - Founders

I’m thinking today about all the Vietnam, WWII, Iraq, and Afghanistan Veterans that I had the opportunity to meet during my travels across the Western US during the past two months. I saw an incredible outpouring of support and your service is appreciated more than you know.

I’m home safe and I’m glad to be back. My head is spinning with incredible memories. I will be updating the blog with photos and more details on this incredible adventure. Thank you again for your support!

I’m in Page, AZ and should be home by Thursday evening. I’ve covered 6,638 miles so far and raised over 2,000 for Homes for Our Troops because of your support. I’ve been blessed with excellent weather, great friends along the route, incredible scenery, and tons of help from everyone to help me reach my goal. I’m looking forward to having more time to go through photos and posting them to the blog. Thank you again for your support! This adventure may be coming to an end but the adventure has just begun!

Went to Loulos for breakfast which I had seen a few times passing through Whitefish. Wow! This place is so cool and the food is fantastic. The staff is fun and I enjoyed dinner here as well.

I met a few friends outsite…

I left for East Glacier and the temp was about 45 degrees. You would normally take the Going to the Sun road to get there but the center section at the pass is closed for major work. I took about two and half hours to get to the other side of the closed section by going around the southeast section of the park. I watched the temperature reading drop as I climbed to the top of the pass. New levels of alertness and concern fired up as the temperature dropped to 32 and snow began to fall. I kept going because I was so close to the top. The wind was blowing gusts of 40+ and I did not stop long for photos. As I descended, I noticed the snow swirling around on the road but it was not sticking.

As I passed St. Mary Lake, I noticed an interesting area to view the mountains with a better vantage point that included the lake. As I arrived, a ray of light popped out of the clouds. I ran down to the lake with all my gear on so I did not miss this shot. It’s hard to frame a photo with my helmet on but I did not want to miss this. I probably looked like an alien running around but there was nobdy around!

The clouds created some interesting light patterns on the cliffs showing off the detail and colors. This was so beautiful and I would be willing to fight the crowds to come back and see the place in the summer. I’ll never forget this winter experience!

I continued to descend into dusk and explored options for my return to Whitefish. I decided to trust the GPS and take the shorter route which ended up taking me over a southern pass in Glacier. The snow was still intermittent and the temperatures were in the 30s. The wind was the scariest part of this ride. It was night, I’m on a winding pass road, there are signs of freezing stuff on the road, and I did not know how high I was headed for. I also did not want to turn around for a three hour trip home. I turned up the heated gear, concentrated, prayed, and eventually went over the top and down the other side without incident. I had focused on making it safely back to the hot tub which was a great way to end this incredible day.

It was still raining in the morning and I left in the afternoon for West Glacier which is about 45 minutes from the lodge. The clouds were low and obstructed the views. The Going to the Sun road was closed and I went into the forest at the last parking area.

It was cold! I waited until the sun came up before I ventured out. I did not have far to drive today and could take some extra time to enjoy the view over the lake. I packed up and headed for Leland’s Honda in Kalispeli. The rear tire was bald and I decided to get a front as well because I did not want to mess with another stop during the trip.

Here are some photos of the great staff at Leland’s Honda in Kalispeli. They gave me a good deal on the tires as well as let me use some tools to implement a permanent fix for the reoccurring fuse issue I was having. The circuit ran my radar and GPS and was on a 5A fuse and in a place that was incredibly inaccessible. I ran a new wire from my fuse block under the seat and put it on a 30A fuse. No problems since!

Rain was moving into the area and I was not happy about that with brand new tires. I only had 60 minute drive to Grouse Maintain Lodge in Whitefish, MT. I took it really slow and arrived just before dark. This is a large conference center and lodge on a beautiful golf course. My friend Pam told me about this place and I’m glad I made it here. I called the manager in advance and she went before the board to request a special rate for me. She secured a complimentary night as well as a huge discount on the remaining nights. The food and service was fantastic! This was to be my departure point over the next week for East Glacier, West Glacier, and Canada.

I unloaded the bike, grabbed bite to eat, a drink to go, and jumped hot tub even though it was about 40 degrees and raining. My back is starting to talk to me about either the riding or camping out. This felt great and is something I did each night in addition to the exercises from my friends at Spine Team Texas. My back improved over the next few days.